Another day, another port. Today marks our first of two stops in Turkey, this one in Kusadassi (Ephesus) Turkey and then tomorrow off to Bodrom Turkey. Our original plan today was to go to the amazing Aqua Park which is a couple of miles from the port but that excursion going cancelled due to lack of participants. We figured going into it that the chances of us being able to go were slim but getting the notice was still a bummer. We decided instead since we were in Kusadassi in 2008 to not go back to Ephesus which we did an eight hour tour on already, but instead stay and explore Kusadassi. My parents on the other hand booked a half-day tour that took them to many of the great sights in Ephesus. They seemed to enjoy it but once again seemed as though the weather deterred them.

For Jenn and I we woke up at around 10AM which was a beautiful thing and got ready to go into town. We got a little confused leaving the cruise terminal area which is a bit of a maze but finally made our way to the shopping district in Kusadassi. If you have never been to Kusadassi, everything is “Genuine Fakes” in Kusadassi or in other words every store is fake stuff (Lacoste, Ralph Lauren, Gucci, etc) but they all admit they are fake and the task is to find the best fakes for the best prices. Well Jenn and I grew tired of that adventure quick and decided not to buy any of the fakes and just go to lunch.

We landed on an outdoor restaurant with a very over emphatic host/waiter who convinced us to eat there. Jenn got Pasta Bolognase (sixth time on the trip) and I had beef skewers with a Turkish Beer. The food was actually exceptionally good especially given the fact that the surrounding area wasn't all that nice. We enjoyed our lunch and walked around the shops for a while longer and gave in to the heat before heading back to the cruise ship. We met up with the rest of my family at around 2PM and went to lay out on the top pool deck for a couple of hours before dinner.

Tonight instead of going to the main dining room we went to the second of three specialty restaurants on the cruise ship, Izumi. This was the one restaurant that both Amy and my Mom were dreading, not being huge Japanese Food fans. Ally and I on the other hand being big sushi fans were really looking forward to it. I started with a beer and Jenn had a Saki Cosmopolitan which she loved. We all then chose either package deals or the a la carte options. Both Jenn and I went with package deals. We both ordered the beef hot rock but Jenn got the surf and turf sushi and I got an assortment of different sushi's (tuna, salmon, yellowtail, snapper, eel, shrimp, octopus, and albacore). Jenn got Wonton Soup which she absolutely loved and I had a Tuna Carpaccio which was to die for. What was even more impressive was seeing Jenn eat Sushi which I know she has tried before but she finally found a few rolls that she found to be tolerable.

For the main course we both got the beef hot rock which was fantastic. They brought out a hot rock and you get to cook your meat and vegetables on it. Jenn somehow managed to get the assistant waiter to help out to get her meat cooked by them but I decided to it my self and cook my own food. Either way the beef was fantastic. We all shared a few sampler platters which were great as well. This was by far my favorite meal thus far on the cruise but we still have one more specialty restaurant to go.

After dinner we went to see a show which was a musician “entertainer” named Mario who was a lot of fun. Nothing to write home about, but did enough to keep us all entertained. After the show we all turned in early, a first on the cruise but a needed break to the late night fun we have been having. Another day, another port, and of course a hot rock, can't forget about that.